hey were having the other side
presented by one qualified to speak. It was a novel situation. They were
at the time confident in the success of their cause, and, while they
laughed at his strictures, they encouraged him to go on and listened to
him nearly the whole night.

The evening of the second day's fight Dr. Cutter, still a prisoner, was in
the vicinity and witnessed the massing of troops for the assault on the
Henry House Hill and somehow had an intuition that it was the old second
brigade that defended the hill, but not until well into the night did news
reach headquarters that the Henry House Hill was defended by Reno's
command. This delighted the old doctor. He made the Confederates
acknowledge they got all they wanted and then told them who gave it to
them.

The second battle of Bull Run was a disastrous battle for General Pope and
the "Army of Virginia" but not for the old second brigade. We had checked
the enemy's advance at a most critical moment, for as we moved back to
Centreville that night we found the road choked with trains and artillery,
much of which must have fallen into the enemy's hands had they not been
stopped at the time. As it was they made no further effort to advance
after the engagement at the bridge until the next day. Meanwhile our
artillery and trains got straightened out and well out of their way.

Nothing of importance occurred to us on the 31st. We lay quietly in camp
near Centreville the whole day.

September 1st, about two o'clock, we broke camp and started towards
Fairfax Courthouse. As we started off, the report got around among the
boys that Stonewall Jackson was in our rear, or threatened our
communications with Washington. About four o'clock as we were marching
along we heard a bugle on a small ridge to the left and in front of us. On
looking up we saw a cornfield, and the upper edge of it filled with
Johnnies picking green corn. We were not more than a fourth of a mile from
them and could see individual men distinctly. We halted and loaded our
guns. Then we moved along past the Johnnies leaving them to our left, they
disappearing behind the ridge. We soon came to some wood lying in front
and extending off to the left. The 51st New York entered the wood ahead of
us with a picket line advancing in front of it. It was soon evident that
each command had lost all connection with the other, and was advancing no
one knew where or why. The 21st seemed to have obliqued to the left